Turkey - Birth of Christianity (15 nights/16 days )
Key Information
Tour Duration: 15 nights / 16 days
Days of Operation: Private Tour - Regular Tour
Destination's: Turkey
Hotel's Class: 5, 4, 3 Stars Hotel or Tourist Class
Season: All Year
Airfare Included: No
Tour Customizable: Yes
*Overnight Place:
3 nights Istanbul, 1 night Antakya, 1 night Tarsus, 2 nights
Cappadocia, 1 night Konya
2 nights Antalya, 2 nights Pamukkale, 1 night Bergama, 2 nights
Kusadasi.
Tour Itinerary:
Day 1: Istanbul.
Arrive Istanbul. Meet and transfer to the hotel. Overnight in
Istanbul.
Day 2: Istanbul.
Visit Hagia Sofia, Topkapi Palace, the Hippodrome, and the Blue
Mosque. Dinner in Kumkapi, the citys fish market, and overnight in
Istanbul. (B/D)
Day 3: Antakya.
Morning flight to Adana and drive to Antakya (ancient Antioch).
Located near the mouth of the Orontes River, the city was one of the
earliest centers of Christianity, serving as the headquarters of St.
Paul for his missionary journeys between 47-55 A.D. Visit the Mosaic
Museum and the Grotto of St. Peter, a cave church where St. Peter is
believed to have preached and the new word, Christian, came into
use. Dinner in town and overnight in Antakya. (B/D)
Day 4: Tarsus.
Visits to Titus Tunnel, Seleuceia ad Pierea, Antiochs ancient port
near Samandag, and the 6th century monastery of St. Simeon, Stylites
the younger. Then on to Tarsus, the birth place of St. Paul. In Acts
21:39, Paul is proud of his city and says, I am a Jew, from Tarsus
in Cilicia, a citizen of no ordinary city. Dinner and overnight in
Tarsus. (B/D)
Day 5: Cappadocia.
Drive to Nigde and visit Eskigumus Monastery, one of the best
preserved monastery complexes
with an intact fresco of Mary depicted
smiling with her infant Jesus. Then on to Derinkuyu, the deepest
underground city with eight layers. Dinner and overnight in
Cappadocia. (B/D)
Day 6: Cappadocia.
Full-day tour of Cappadocia: Visits to the Goreme Open Air Museum,
Zelve Valley, Avanos, and Uchisar. A land of eerie beauty, the
region was a Roman province and the refuge of persecuted Christians
during the early days of the Roman Empire. Cappadocia is well known
for its rock churches that date to the period of the persecution and
for its underground cities, amazingly intricate systems of tunnels
cut into mountains of rock. Dinner in town and overnight in
Cappadocia. (B/D)
Day 7: Lystra - Konya.
Visit Ihlara Valley where there were more than one hundred churches
once upon a time. Then on to Sultanhan Caravanserai and Lystra,
where Paul was stoned by the people during his first visit. Drive to
Konya, ancient Iconium. Optional Whirling Dervish performance in the
hotel. Dinner and overnight in Konya. (B/D)
Day 8: Pisidian Antioch - Antalya.
Visit the Mevlana Museum, which was the cloister of Mevlana, a great
mystical philosopher of the 13th century, and Mevlevi, the Whirling
Dervishes. Drive to Yalvac and visit Pisidian Antioch where St. Paul
addressed the congregation in a synagogue on the Sabbath, the first
recorded sermon. The Synagogue was later converted into a basilica
dedicated to St. Paul. Dinner and overnig
ht in Antalya. (B/D)
Day 9: Perge - Aspendos - Antalya.
Perge colonnaded street Visits to Perge and Aspendos. In Perge, the
apostles Paul and Barnabas began their first missionary journey in
Asia Minor. Its most notable remains include a theater, a stadium,
two basilicas and an agora. It was renowned for its schools of
sculpture during the Roman period. The ancient Pamphylian city of
Aspendos is noted for its Roman ruins, including an aqueduct and a
Roman theater, possibly the finest in the world, which is carved out
of the northeast flank of a hill. Free time for strolling through
the old harbor in Antalya in the afternoon. Dinner in town and
overnight in Antalya. (B/D)
Day 10: Pamukkale.
Visit the Antalya Archaeological Museum, where a rich collection of
artifacts from the vicinity, ranging from the upper Paleolithic
period to Ottoman times, offers a glimpse of the areas rich
history.
Drive to Pamukkale and visit Laodiceia, known for its
lukewarm people, like the water of the city, and Colossae,
mentioned by Paul in his letter. Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale.
(B/D)
Day 11: Hierapolis - Pamukkale.
Visit Hierapolis, modern Pamukkale, where the Martyrium of St.
Philip the Apostle can be seen behind the Aphrodisias Tetrapylon
theater. Its hot springs have been used since Roman times for their
therapeutic powers. The build-up over thousands of years of mineral
deposits has created fantastic formations of white stalactite,
cataracts, and basins. Then on to Aphrodisias, the city of
Aphrodite, and her temple which was converted into a basilica.
Dinner and overnight in Pamukkale. (B/D)
Day 12: Sardis - Pergamum(Pergamon).
Drive to Bergama visiting three of the Seven Churches - Thyatira,
Sardis, and Philadelphia - from the Book of Revelation. Sardis,
where the first coins were minted, was the capital of the Lydian
Empire and the city of King Croesos. Dinner and overnight in Bergama.
(B/D).
Day 13: Pergamum - Smyrna - Kusadasi.
Visit Ephesus and environs. Sites include the Museum, the Temple of
Artemis, the Basilica of
St. John, and the Church of the Virgin
Mary. St. John preached and lived in Ephesus. It is believed that he brought the Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the crucifixion of Christ
and that she spent her last days in the small house that was built
for her on Mt. Koressos (Bulbuldagi). Dinner in town, overnight in
Kusadasi. (B/D)
Day 15: Ephesus - Kusadasi.
Visit Ephesus and environs. Sites include the Museum, the Temple of
Artemis, the Basilica of
St. John, and the Church of the Virgin
Mary. St. John preached and lived in Ephesus. It is believed that he brought the Virgin Mary to Ephesus after the crucifixion of Christ
and that she spent her last days in the small house that was built
for her on Mt. Koressos (Bulbuldagi). Dinner in town, overnight in
Kusadasi. (B/D)
Day 16: Istanbul.
Chora Church Drive to Izmir for morning flight to Istanbul. Visit
the Church of Holy Saviour (Chora), housing the best examples of
mosaics and frescos in Byzantine Christian art. Free time at
the
Grand Bazaar. Dinner on your own, overnight in Istanbul. (B)
Day 17: Departure Dayi.
Transfer to airport for return flight
Notes:
Airfare is not included in the tour price.
INCLUDING
- 4 and 5 star and equivalent special category hotel accommodations.
- All meals as indicated. Most of the dinners in restaurants
specializing in local cuisine.
- Professional, English-speaking guide.
- Air-conditioned vehicle with professional tour bus driver.
- Hotel tips only.
- Domestic flights in Turkey.
- Group flight transfers.
- All entrance fees and admissions.
- Tea, coffee, and soft drinks with meals.
- Baggage handling.
- Tour folders with brochures and maps of Turkey.
- No hidden costs!.
EXCLUDING
- Lunches.
- Guide and driver tips.
- International flights.
- Visa (can be obtained on arrival at airport in Turkey for $20 per
person)
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